Tupac Shakur Murder Suspect Asks to Be Released From Jail Ahead of Trial

Duane "Keefe D" Davis, the man arrested in connection with Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing, wants to be released from jail as he awaits trial.

Davis' legal team filed a motion in a Las Vegas court on Dec. 14, according to local news station KTNV. They asked that he receive a "reasonable bail" of less than $100,000 if he's unable to be released from Clark County Detention Center on his own recognizance .

"Duane should not be denied bail in this case. It cannot be said that the proof is evident and the presumption great that Duane is guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Shakur," his lawyers wrote in the filing, per the outlet. "This Court should release Duane on house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial."

They allege that prosecutors presented an "astounding amount of hearsay and speculative testimony" to the grand jury in July for indictment in the long-unsolved murder case. A copy of a Las Vegas police warrant showed Davis was the target of a search.

According to the Associated Press, during the search officers recovered several electronics, a Vibe magazine featuring Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two "tubs" of photographs and a copy of Davis' memoir, in which he allegedly confessed to playing a part in the killing. He has also made similar admissions in interviews.

His attorneys said in last week's filing that the state "relied on excerpts from a book titled Compton Street Legend, which was allegedly written by Duane Davis and Yusuf Jah. The State did not delineate which parts of the book, if any, were written by Duane." 

They went on to reference interviews on YouTube, in which Davis also alleged his nephew, Orlando Anderson, pulled the trigger, "which was the widely-held public belief." (Anderson, who was once named by police as a suspect in Shakur's murder, died in 1998 during an unrelated gang-related shooting.)

"The truthfulness of the content of the interviews was never verified," Davis' attorneys continued. "The book and interviews were done for entertainment purposes and to make money from a situation that [LAPD officers] and others had already profited [from]".

They went on to allege that his health is declining as he remains in prison.

"He is not getting his bi-monthly oncologist check-ups," they wrote. "Additionally, his heart health has declined. He was put back on a group of medications to try to get things under control."

They continued, "He has to take these medications in jail because he is unable to do the things necessary to maintain proper health. His diet in jail is terrible. He is given heavily processed meals full of sodium that barely pass as food."

They spoke about his life before his arrest and said he turned his life around, and for the past decade he has lived in Henderson, Nev., where he is "well regarded in his neighborhood."

Shakur was killed in Las Vegas in a drive-by shooting on Sept. 13, 1996. LVMPD Lt. Jason Johansson said in a press conference that Davis, a known member of the South Side Compton Crips gang, shot Shakur after a brawl broke out between their two rival groups while leaving the Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand.

Davis became the first person arrested in connection with the murder when he was taken into custody in September. He was charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty last month. His next court hearing is set for Jan. 2.

If convicted, he most likely won't get the death penalty, District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously said. Still, it's possible he'll be sentenced to life in prison.

The Messenger contacted Wolfson for comment. It's not clear who is representing Davis to comment on his behalf.